28th Hall of Fame

I haven't seen many but the quality of films surely seems to be lacking here.

Eh, I gave 5/8 movies in this Hall a 7/10 or higher, so I enjoyed this Hall for the most part.

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yeah this was a weird one lol.

I enjoyed the films for the most part.

When a Hall is filled with obscure nominations, I think it's normal for the participants to be split on them, but I think this Hall had some nice variation as all the other Halls I've been in so far have had at least a couple well-known classics nominated that I imagine most people here have already seen, so it was nice to get a Hall filled with mostly obscure films I might not have ever heard of otherwise. I'm not sure I'd want this kind of selection for every Hall, but I still enjoyed the detour.

The only two I had seen before was my film and Rams. Cuties was interesting as well as The Travelling Players. I figured I would like Miracle Mile more as Anthony Edwards and Mare Winningham were popular when I was a teen. I was surprised that I enjoyed Young Man With A Horn as much as I did. Blue Spring was more like live action anime.

I guess the point of the HOF is to discover films you may never watch

Why is that the point? I don't comprehend that. I feel like that wasn't the halls original intentions. Not saying it's a bad thing, just that I didn't expect that to define it.

Even though I didn't enjoy every movie in the Hall, I still enjoyed it overall. And even though there was some disagreements and squabbles, I still love each and every one of you.

Aw, thanks bestie. Love u 2

Well, I usually do a recap, and seeing as everyone is discussing how this Hall of Fame went it seems appropriate. It has felt like a strange one (I don't mean that in a bad way) with no clear frontrunner going by everyone's reviews. For me though - I've only considered two films real 'masterpieces' after first being introduced to them in these Halls, one was Sweet Smell of Success - it's been nominated three times so far, and despite ever so deserving a place it doesn't have one yet. The other was in this Hall - The Travelling Players. I can see why not everyone liked it, but for me it was the best first-viewing experience I've had this year - and I truly loved it. I hope Criterion release a good copy of it one day. I'd love for it to win - but I don't think it's going to.

So...that means one of 7 seemingly unlikely films will be added to the Hall of Fame. I wouldn't consider any of them bad - My Favorite Year has been touted as a favourite (to use the spelling we have over where I'm situated) film of many everywhere I go. I chiefly point the finger at Mark Linn-Baker for letting the movie down - Peter O'Toole was great, and I love Jessica Harper. Also, as a director Richard Benjamin leaves a lot to be desired. It's not personally where I'm at, but for some reason I've seen the damned thing 4 or 5 times in my life for various reasons. It's like chewing gum stuck to the sole of my shoe.

Young Man With a Horn is a decent chance of winning. It's music excels - and I thought it was pretty good. It got nowhere near where I consider The Travelling Players is in my mind, but I can tell quite a few are going to favour it in their ballots. Rams was my "pretty sure people haven't seen this" pick on my 'three-types' Hall of Fame nominating cycle. The first time I saw it I was blown away - this second time a little less so, but I still think it's a quality film up there in the same category as most of the films here. MovieGal had seen it, but 6/7 isn't bad. Miracle Mile is a really interesting nomination - I'd never even heard of this film, and it's so full of great 80s stuff that I'm surprised I hadn't. It fulfilled one of the best factors of participating in these - seeing interesting films you'd otherwise never have had the chance to.

The Painted Bird seems like winning the 'most controversial' award (there seems to be at least one in each hall.) Personally, I enjoy being shocked and appalled some of the time (I got Visitor Q in a PR Hall of Fame once - that was a doozy.) That film's problems only really became clear when I read someone else's review here and they mentioned the kid playing the lead role. They picked the wrong boy - that really struck me. It was a huge film, and everything about it was interesting and really intense - and it had Udo Kier in it as a big bonus. I liked it as much as I did Miracle Mile and Young Man With a Horn (and it probably rates on the same level Rams does with me now.) Blue Spring was yet another film I thought was up on that level - just short of greatness, but really good. I play Thee Michelle Gun Elephant's song 'Drop' often - it became a new favourite, and it's the song that plays during the end credits.

So that just leaves Cuties (Mignonnes) which I was properly impressed by. Debut director Maïmouna Doucouré doesn't deserve the flak from all the controversy the Netflix poster of her film inflamed, as it's message is counter to what she was being accused of. How you make a film about an issue without visually approaching it is beyond me, but the lesson to me is just stay away from all of that unless you're ready to be pilloried by the online community. I'm guessing that's why there are so few films dealing with relevant issues these days - this new digital mob is just as scary as the one from Frankenstein.

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@PHOENIX74

One thing you will learn about me is I LOVE Nordic cinema. Hence, you all are pirates and I'm a Viking.

I have a long running list of films I have seen from Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Iceland and Estonia.

I have a few I have seen from other small European countries as well. I need to work on that one more.

Mignonnes aka Cuties (2020)

Impressive. Actually.
The anti-message played out quite beautifully as our leading Cutie, having followed the due course of exploring something she shouldn't be with an addict's behavior pattern: Interest, Indulging, Addiction/Terrible Life Choices, and eventual bottoming out and seeking Rehabilitation when she skips rope, the camera moving upward, we see her appear at the apex of each jump expressing how she rises in the joy of being a kid. (I truly liked that ending).
For a very touchy subject matter, I do think the Writer/Director Maïmouna Doucouré did a commendable and engaging job with this film. The storytelling of Amy's home life, her friendship with Angelica, and some amusing moments like Amy attempting to Iron her hair, to some very realistic interaction as the girls fight, argue, laugh, and shop - very VERY happily.
Maïmouna Doucouré also did a great job showing the saturation of sexy behavior and its enticement for so many kids that mirror it by using a Dance Contest as the main illustration.

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What I actually said to win MovieGal's heart:
- I might not be a real King of Kinkiness, but I make good pancakes

~Mr Minio

Cuties (2020)

The controversial netflix film Cuties tells the story of an african islamic 11 year old who decides she wants to dance with a series of sexualized 11 year olds. Cuties is an interesting film it attempts to touch on a number of social issues but doesn't really latch onto any one of them. It's what a call a spaghetti film in that it throws everything at the wall and sees what sticks. For Cuties it's the male gaze and the sexualization of pre-pubescent girls.

Now you have a lot of directions the film could have gone in to make it more inciteful. The lead character is the daughter of a polygamist family that is just getting a second wife and starting a second family. That's a direction I think the film should have gone further into but it also gives us the second reasoning of what the girls see in media and how they act. One of those directions would have been a good idea going in two directions you get half the impact.

The performances from the child actors covers the wide spectrum of good to bad. Stories like this tend to work better when you approach it from a state of normalcy like Thirteen(2003) or Eight Grade (2018)...you start at a more accessible point because your character is going on a journey and you don't want to spend the entire first act establishing who this character is.

You also have plot points that would have likely hit harder if it were 12-13 year olds not pre-pubecent girls. You have a incident with a photo that shouldn't really of had the impact that it had in the story. Theirs a line where they say the girls are dancers not strippers...that doesn't really feel like dialogue an 11 year old would say. The good aspect of the film is that it's very quickly paced...this under two hours and like I said it has a lot of plot movements so you don't have to dwell on the uncomfortable aspects of the story for too long. Would I recommend...no but I didn't hate it.

Miracle Mile (1988)

Yuppies in Peril is a fascinating subgenre of the 80's. As the world became decadent you had these greater fears that certain filmmakers tried to take advantage of. Normally it's a white guy who get's sucked into a strange world by a mysterious woman. Miracle Mile is one of those films but it does some more interesting things with it. To start off with having Mare Whiningham and Anthony Edwards as the leads when they are normally the sidekick character actors was casting genius. Also the fear is an atomic missile coming to destroy LA is smart.

It's not a perfect film, the humor aspect of the genre doesn't really work it's somewhat offputting as are a number of the supporting performances. Everyone acts in exactly the most stereotypical way possible. It does give the film a different context because Mare makes a number of interesting character choices in her performances. While the film feels dated in that way it still works for what it's going for.

The city is also it's own character how the quiet empty streets slowly fill up as the story goes on until the final act where it's just a metropolis of madness. It's stuff like that, that elevates the made for TV plot of the film. I don't know if I would ever revisit a film like this but comparing it to the other films I other watched it's going to score highly,

I predict Young Man With a Horn will win this hall and I’m fine with that.

Me too.

The fine part I mean

My Favorite Year (1982)


My favorite year is a comedy period piece that tells the story of a fading 30's Screen Star who has to do a guest spot on a popular live 50's comedy show. It's basically a story of generations told through the eyes of three key men...Allan Swan (played by Peter O'Toole) who is based on Errol Flynn, Benjy Stone (played by Mark-Lynn Baker) who is based on Mel Brooks and King Kaiser (played by Josephn Bologna) based on Sid Caeser. Swan is a fading star, Stone is a rising writer and Kaiser is the star/producer of the show. Swann is a drunken womanizer who Caeser doesn't know if he can make and perform for the audience (20 million home viewers and live studio audience). Stone has to babysit him for the week.


My Favorite Year does two things very well...because this is basically true stories from the early days of television all the characters are real. You get pathological behavior that's authentic and unique this isn't inspired by the movies but rather people behind the films. The other thing is the film is about jokes...it's a comedy but it also dissects what makes a joke good. Slap stick, visual gags, word play all show up, it's trying to tell you what makes a joke work.


The film is Peter O'Toole best work, he plays against type taking a much more physical role where he prat falls and jumps and swings around with the energy of a 50's pirate. But then he stops and takes a moment to charm people in his life...he's a good man but a flawed one. The stakes aren't really that big and for me that's okay you don't need to always go overboard with a story sometimes less is more.

Blue Spring aka Aoi haru (2001)

School days, school days, crazy, bloody, school days. . .

In a dilapidated school building, we meet eight youths playing a dangerous game, "Clap." The winner becomes the "Boss," and this begins the eventual graphic violence that is unleashed amongst the teenage angst done to some pretty d@mn cool rock music and, befitting Japanese filmmaking, a poetry to the moments of introspective indifference, pondering speculation of life beyond school and the violence that ensue.
Of the large group of boys, my favorite was the calm, lucid Kujo, willing to defend his new reign without the need for blustering or boasting.

My only minor critique is the lack of any other adult teachers except the one classroom and the wise gardener who truly cares.
Despite this, I include this in the very recent enjoyable Ueno Nominations. Nicely done!!

Young Man With a Horn (1950)

I SOOO do LOVE when a Blind Grab hits the mark on so many levels as this film has done for me. And even with the more Studio-approved ending, it still scored pretty high for me. But then, Lauren Bacall playing a cool, collective, complex individual like nobody's business, truly set the bar before I even started watching this. And, I believe it was Phoenix and most likely others remarking on the incredible music at the very soul of this film of a gifted man, his absolute dedication and love for playing. Then, sadly, the very common ground of flying and crashing with all the craft Kirk Douglas has in spades continually raised my enjoyment.
Doris Day was a delight in this, especially when she sang. So was the cigarette smoking, piano man played by Hoagy Carmichael, and Rick's mentor and father figure, Juano Hernandez.
Add to all of this some fine cinematography, and this previously unknown gem scores, as I've said, pretty effin high for me.